Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce, first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature, it has been called "a demonstration and summation of the entire movement".

Ulysses chronicles the passage of Leopold Bloom through Dublin during an ordinary day, 16 June 1904 (the day of Joyce's first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle). The title alludes to Odysseus (Latinised into Ulysses), the hero of Homer's Odyssey, and establishes a series of parallels between characters and events in Homer's poem and Joyce's novel (e.g., the correspondences between Leopold Bloom and Odysseus, Molly Bloom and Penelope, and Stephen Dedalus and Telemachus). Joyce fans worldwide now celebrate 16 June as Bloomsday.

Ulysses contains approximately 265,000 words from a lexicon of 30,030 words (including proper names, plurals and various verb tenses), divided into eighteen episodes. Since publication, the book attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from early obscenity trials to protracted textual "Joyce Wars." Ulysses' stream-of-consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose—full of puns, parodies, and allusions, as well as its rich characterisations and broad humour, made the book a highly regarded novel in the Modernist pantheon. In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Ulysses first on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.


This audio is part of the collection: Community Audio
It also belongs to collection:

Artist/Composer: James Joyce
Keywords: James Joyce; Ulysses; Ireland; Dublin; Bloomsday; Leopold Bloom; Stephen Dedalus; Molly Bloom; Odyssey; Homer; Stephen Hero; Telemachus; Odysseus; Penelope; Nestor; Proteus; Calypso; Lotus Eaters; Hades; Aeolus; Lestrygonians; Scylla and Charybdis; Wandering Rocks; Sirens; Cyclops; Nausicaa; Oxen of the Sun; Circe; Eumaeus; Ithaca; Buck Mulligan; yes I said yes I will Yes; sparknotes ulysses; ulysses analysis; ulysses novel; ulysses poem; ulysses synopsis

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Individual Files

Write a review
Downloaded 30,084 times Reviews
Average Rating:

Reviewer: renown_kete - - December 3, 2012
Subject: File Durations
Someone did not optimize the MP3 durations for CDs. The 1st two tracks fit on a CD, but the rest do not fit together as well and leave some 20 & 30 minute MP3s without a sequential track for a CD. That is a waste, so if possible, the author should have made the MP3s closer to 79 minutes each. When episodes ended with a 20 minute track for example, the author should have made the next MP3 59 minutes.

Reviewer: wisdomandcompassion - - August 30, 2012
Subject: Gratitude to you Enabling knowledge for all
Yes! How wonderful it is to have this facillity - and to be so filled up by great literature and the generosity of fellow humans in offering their work, time, energy, and passion
May your generosity come back to you a thousand fold.

Reviewer: Folkhippy - - May 16, 2012
Subject: Absolutely incredible
Thank you so much for posting this amazing audio version of Ulysses. This is a true performance indeed. If you have struggled with reading Ulysses (as all of us have), might I recommend you give this recording a try. No cliché intended, but it truly brings the text to life.

Reviewer: josebba - - March 5, 2012
Subject: A SUPERB PERFORMANCE, NOT JUST A READING
I was amazed to find such a superb performance, and at no cost. The readers are clearly professionals and bring an actor's skill to expressing their characters. Each voice is differentiated from the others; the narrator, who is also first-rate, ties the numerous voices into a single whole. This is a big help to the reader, since separating the narration, dialogue and inner monologue can be difficult when reading the text alone.

Reviewer: fellaheendaughter - - January 17, 2012
Subject: amazing ulysses
i would have never read Ulysses without this remarkable recording. I have the book in front of me and the Stuart Gilbert companion, and the Weldon Thornton Allusions book,(way more than I can absorb in my first reading) and speakers on my laptop and i'm in heaven. Listening makes all the difference, even if I don't "get it" the music of the language keeps me completely engaged. I can't believe that there's an organization our there that takes the time, with probably little reward, to record these extraordinary works. Thank you.

Reviewer: mairead12 - - July 31, 2011
Subject: wonderful reading
I believe James Joyce would have been delighted with this reading. Each character is read by a different reader who brings the character to life. It is clear that the readers are familiar with and have a love of Joyce's work.